DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

ALBERT B. FALL, Secretary 

BUREAU OF MINES 

H. FOSTER BAIN, Director 


OPERATING REGULATIONS 

TO GOVERN THE METHODS OF MINING OIL SHALE, PHOSPHATE, 
SODIUM, AND POTASH, AND THE SAFETY AND WELFARE 
OF EMPLOYEES IN CONNECTION THEREWITH 


Under the Acts approved February 25, 1920 (41 Stat. 437) 
and October 2, 1917 (40 Stat. 297) 





WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1922 


The Bureau of Mines, in carrying out one of the provisions of its organic 
act—to disseminate information concerning investigations made—prints a limited 
free edition of each of its publications. 

When this edition is exhausted, copies may be obtained at cost price only 
through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Wash¬ 
ington, D. C. 

The Superintendent of Documents is not an official of the Bureau of Mines. 
His is an entirely separate office, and he should be addressed: 

Superintendent of Documents, 

Government Printing Office, 

Washington, D. C. 

The general law under which publications are distributed prohibits the giving 
of more than one copy of a publication to one person. The price of this pub¬ 
lication is 5 cents. 
ii 


First edition, July, 1922. 


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

*EC€|VEO 

AUG 221922 

DOCUMENTS DIVISION 



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CONTENTS. 


Page. 


Definitions_____1 1 

Powers and duties of supervisor and his deputies_ 1 

Duties of lessees_*_ 2 

Maps___'_ 2 

Welfare and safety_„_ 3 

Ventilation—inflammable gas and dust_ 3 

Explosives_ 4 

Fire protection_ 4 

Escape ways_ 4 


Electricity- 

Mining methods- 

Waste for mining or milling. 

Prospect bore holes_ 

Milling_ 

Inspection_ 


Issuing of orders----—^--- 7 

Enforcement of orders--. 7 

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OPERATING REGULATIONS TO GOVERN THE METHODS OF 
MINING OIL SHALE, PHOSPHATE, SODIUM, AND POTASH, 
AND THE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THE EMPLOYEES IN 
CONNECTION THEREWITH. 


Under the acts approved February 25, 1920 (41 Stat. 437), and October 2, 
1917 (40 Stat. 297). 


DEFINITIONS. 

The following terms used in these regulations shall have the mean¬ 
ings here given, namely: 

Mining supervisor.—The agent appointed by and acting for the 
Secretary of the Interior to supervise all coal, oil shale, sodium, 
phosphate, and potash prospecting and mining operations under the 
act of February 25, 1920. 

District mining supervisor.—Any person appointed by the Secre¬ 
tary of the Interior to supervise, under the direction of the mining 
supervisor, prospecting and mining operations under these regula¬ 
tions. 

Deputy mining supervisor.—An agent appointed by the Secretary of 
the Interior to supervise, under the direction of the mining super¬ 
visor, specific prospecting and mining operations under these regula¬ 
tions. 

Lessee.—Any person or persons, partnership, association, firm, cor¬ 
poration, or municipality, or State, to whom a mining lease, permit, 
or license is issued under the act of February 25, 1920. 

Leased lands, leased premises, or leased tract.—Any lands or de¬ 
posits occupied under lease, permit, or license, granted in accordance 
with the act of February 25, 1920, or the act of October 2, 1917, for 
the purpose of mining coal, oil shale, sodium, phosphate, or potash. 

POWERS AND DUTIES OF SUPERVISOR AND HIS DEPUTIES. 

It shall be the duty of the supervisor and district mining super¬ 
visors : 

1. To visit from time to time leased lands wFere operations for the 
discovery or mining of oil shale, sodium, phosphate, or potash are 
carried on or are to be conducted; to inspect and supervise such opera¬ 
tions, including accessory plants, with a view to preventing waste of 
oil shale, sodium, phosphate, and potash, damage to formations or 
deposits containing oil, gas, coal, oil shale, phosphate, sodium, potash, 

99597°—22 1 



2 LEASING REGULATIONS, OIL SHALE, PHOSPHATE, AND SODIUM. 


or other mineral deposits; to supervise operations and conditions for 
the promotion of the safety, health, and welfare of workmen in 
accordance with the provision of the act; and to issue, in accordance 
with the provisions of the lease and these regulations, such necessary 
instructions to lessees as will effectively carry out the duties afore¬ 
mentioned, provided such orders are not in conflict with the laws of 
the State in which the leased lands are situated. 

2. To make reports to the Secretary of the Interior as to the gen¬ 
eral condition of the leased property and the manner in which op¬ 
erations are being conducted and his orders are being complied with, 
and to submit from time to time information and recommendations 
for safeguarding and protecting the lives and health of the em¬ 
ployees, the property, the minerals, and the mineral-bearing forma¬ 
tions. 

3. To prescribe, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the 
Interior, the manner and form in which all records of operations, 
reports, and notices shall be made. 

DUTIES OF LESSEES. 

4. The lessee shall conform to the terms of the lease and these 
regulations and to the written instructions of the mining supervisor 
and the district mining supervisor, provided that such orders are not 
ki conflict with the laws of the State in which the leased lands are 
situated, and shall use all reasonable precautions, in accordance with 
the most approved methods, to prevent waste of oil shale, phosphate, 
sodium, potash, or other minerals, damage to mineral-bearing forma¬ 
tions, and injury to life or health, and provide for safety and welfare 
of employees. 

MAPS. 

5. The lessee shall prepare such maps as in the judgment of the 
mining supervisor are necessary to show the surface boundaries, im¬ 
provements, and topograph}^, and the geological conditions so far as 
determined from outcrops, drill holes, prospecting, or mining. All 
excavations in each separate bed or deposit shall be shown in such 
a manner that the amount of oil shale, phosphate, sodium, or pot¬ 
ash mined for any given royalty period can be accurately ascertained. 

6. Maps of underground workings, unless otherwise ordered by the 
mining supervisor, shall be drawn to a scale of 100 feet to the inch; 
the scale of maps of surface operations and equipment may be on a 
scale of not over 200 feet to the inch. All maps shall be appropri¬ 
ately marked with reference to Government landmarks or lines and 
elevations with reference to sea level. Where the beds or veins dip 
at angles greater than 45° from the horizontal, vertical projections 
and cross sections shall be made accompanying plan view. Maps 



WELFARE AND SAFETY. 


3 


shall be based on accurate surveys made semiannually within 30 days 
following January 1 and July 1 of each year and as may be necessary 
at other times, and accurate copies on tracing cloth or prints shall be 
furnished the mining supervisor when and as required. The ac¬ 
curacy of maps furnished shall be attested before a notary public. 
All maps shall be posted to date at least once each six months. 

7. Prior to the beginning of actual commercial mining operations 
maps and plans shall be submitted to the mining supervisor for 
approval, showing the proposed mining methods, together with the 
plant layout, and such approved plans shall be put into execution. In 
case subsequent mining operations require radical departure from the 
approved plans, then supplementary plans shall be submitted with 
causes for the changes required. 

WELFARE AND SAFETY. 

8. The underground and surface sanitary, welfare, and safety ar¬ 
rangements shall be in accordance with the recommendations of the 
United States Public Health Service and United States Bureau of 
Mines. 

9. Full reports of all accidents, inundations, or fires shall be 
promptly mailed to the mining supervisor by the lessee or his repre¬ 
sentative. Fatal accidents and serious or threatening damages to 
the mine shall be reported to the mining supervisor by telegraph or 
telephone. 

10. All employees while in the mine or accessory plants shall be 
afforded all possible protection to life and health. All mechanical 
equipment used for the transportation of men shall be of a safe design 
and character for the work it performs. Adequate shelter holes 
shall be made, guide rails or fences shall be erected, and warning 
signs shall be posted at dangerous walks or passages; all moving 
parts of machinery or belts, when endangering employees or liable 
to result in injury, shall be adequately guarded. In the mining and 
milling or treating of the ores or mined products, the employees shall 
be adequately protected from injurious fumes, acids, dusts, and harm¬ 
ful or dangerous conditions. In mines where siliceous or other harm¬ 
ful dusts are formed, drills shall be of the water-injection type and 
sprays shall be used to wet down the dust. 

VENTILATION—INFLAMMABLE GAS AND DUST. 

11. Lessees shall provide and maintain for each underground oper¬ 
ation on any lease a good and sufficient amount of ventilation for 
such men and animals as may be employed therein, and shall cause 
an adequate quantity of pure air to circulate through and into all 
the shafts, winzes, levels, and all working places of such mine. 
A working place, entry, or passageway shall be deemed normally in 
a fit condition for men to work or travel in if the air therein, as 



4 LEASING REGULATIONS, OIL SHALE, PHOSPHATE, AND SODIUM. 

determined by chemical analysis by the Bureau of Mines of at least 
four samples in duplicate gathered at intervals of not less than two 
days apart by the mining supervisor, district mining supervisor, or 
deputy mining supervisor, each show on a moisture-free basis more 
than per cent carbon dioxide or less than 19 per cent oxygen. The 
lessee, upon being notified of such finding, shall immediately under¬ 
take measures to improve the quality of the air of said working place 
or entry. Where natural ventilation does not furnish a positive 
current of air, mechanical devices, such as fans and blowers, shall be 
provided. Fans when installed shall have fireproof housing, and 
where installed at the surface shall be so arranged that the ventilat¬ 
ing current can be quickly reversed. Mines in which inflammable 
gas is found or explosive dust produced shall be subject to the coal 
regulations approved April 30,1921, covering these hazards. 

EXPLOSIVES. 

12. The lessee shall store, thaw, transport, issue, and use explo¬ 
sives only in the most approved manner and with due regard for the 
safety and welfare of the employees and protection of property, and in 
accord with instructions or notices issued by the mining supervisor. 

FIRE PROTECTION. 

13. All structures within 75 feet of any mine opening shall be so 
constructed and protected against fire that the men in the mine shall 
not be endangered if fire should occur in a surface building. Inflam¬ 
mable material shall not be stored within 75 feet of a mine exit. All 
underground offices, stations, shops, magazines, and stores shall be so 
constructed, equipped, and maintained as to reduce the fire hazard 
to a minimum, and sufficient fire-fighting apparatus shall be main¬ 
tained in working condition at the mine exits and in the mine work¬ 
ings for fire emergencies. An adequate water supply shall be held 
in storage tanks or reservoirs for fire emergencies and be available 
for immediate use through connecting pipe lines for either surface 
or underground fires. 

ESCAPE WAYS. 

14. In all underground operations, the lessee shall not without the 
written consent of the mining supervisor employ more than 10 men 
underground on any one shift until a second exit or escape way has 
been made from the interior of the mine to the surface. Such exits 
shall be not less than 100 feet apart. When necessary in the opinion 
of the mining supervisor such escape ways shall be provided with 
ladders or stairs in addition to any mechanical means of ingress or 
egress as may exist or be required. Said openings shall not be cov¬ 
ered by or connected with inflammable buildings or materials, but 
open timber framework may be permitted. 


MINING METHODS. 


5 


ELECTRICITY. 

15. Electric circuits with high voltage, or more than 650 volts, 
shall be conducted in or through a mine only through insulated lead- 
covered armored cables, with the armor electrically continuous 
throughout and grounded, and may only be used for transmission or 
for application to transformers, motors, or other apparatus in which 
the whole of the high-voltage winding is stationary. Medium volt¬ 
age wires, or electric circuit carrying between 300 and 650 volts, may 
be used only for stationary motors. All portable motors, such as 
locomotive mining machinery and portable pumps or portable fans 
shall only use low voltage or less than 300 volts. All electric wires 
and appliances shall be installed, maintained, and used so as to insure 
safety to the employees and the mine and be in accord with the recom¬ 
mendations of the United States Bureau of Mines. 

MINING METHODS. 

16. Mining operations shall be conducted in a manner to yield the 
ultimate maximum recovery of the oil shale, phosphate, sodium, or 
potash, due regard being taken to protect with adequate pillars all 
shafts, main exits, and passageways, also all beds or mineral deposits 
overlying the deposit being worked that at a future date may be 
of economic importance. Any information regarding said mineral 
deposit shall be fully recorded and a copy of the record furnished 
to the mining supervisor. 

17. Sufficient pillars shall be left in first mining to insure the ulti¬ 
mate maximum recovery when the time arrives for the removal of 
pillars. Boundary pillars shall in no case be less than 50 feet thick 
unless otherwise specified in writing by the mining supervisor. 
Boundary and other main pillars shall be mined only with the 
written consent or by order of the mining supervisor or district min¬ 
ing supervisor. 

18. The roof and sides of every traveling way and each working 
place shall be made secure where necessary by timbering or adequate 
lining and arching, and the lessee shall not permit anyone to travel 
on or work in any traveling way or working place which is not 
secure unless appointed for the purpose of exploring, inspecting, or 
repairing same. 

19. In mining or prospecting deposits of sodium or other minerals 
soluble in water, all shafts, prospect holes, and other openings are to 
be adequately protected against the entrance of water, and the lessee 
shall on orders of the mining supervisor fill stopes with rock or other 
suitable material to protect the roof from breakage when such en¬ 
trance of water is a danger. In any lease containing brines due pre¬ 
caution shall be exercised that, so far as feasible, the deposits shall 


6 LEASING REGULATIONS, OIL SHALE, PHOSPHATE, AND SODIUM. 

not become diluted or contaminated by the mixture of water or value¬ 
less solution, and, in accordance with the lease (section 29, Circular 
699), where the minerals are taken from the earth in solution, such 
extraction shall not be within 500 feet of the boundary line of the 
leased lands without the written permission of the Secretary of the 
Interior. 

WASTE FROM MINING OR MILLING. 

20. The lessee shall make such provision for the disposal of the 
waste rock from the mines, the material removed in hydraulic or 
stripping operations, the sludge from the mill, or other refuse, that 
it will not become a nuisance or obstruction to any public highway, 
railroad, right of way, or other means of transportation or travel, or 
to any private or public land or stream, or in any manner to occasion 
private or public damage. 

PROSPECT BORE HOLES. 

21. The lessee shall submit promptly to the mining supervisor 
sworn copies of all core or test hole records made on the lease, the 
records to be in such form that the position and direction of the holes 
can be accurately located on a map. The records shall include a log 
of all strata penetrated, and conditions such as encountering water, 
quicksand, gas, or other unusual conditions, and copies of analyses of 
all samples analyzed of strata penetrated shall be transmitted to the 
mining supervisor as soon as obtained. Drill holes for development, 
or holes for prospecting, shall be plugged and cased in a manner not 
to endanger any present or future underground operation or any 
deposit of oil, gas, or mineral substances soluble in water. 

MILLING. 

22. It shall be the duty of the lessee to use due diligence in the 
reduction, concentration, or separation of mineral substances by 
mechanical or chemical means, by distillation, by evaporation, or 
other means, so that the percentage of salts, concentrates, oils, or 
other mineral substances recovered shall be in accord with the most 
approved practices. 

INSPECTION. 

23. The lessees shall provide means at all reasonable hours, either 
day or night, for the mining supervisor, the district supervisor, the 
deputy supervisor, and accompanying mining experts and for Fed¬ 
eral mine surveyors authorized in writing by the supervisor for the 
purpose of inspection of underground or surface conditions, survey¬ 
ing, estimating amount of ore or mineral product mined, or to study 
the methods of mining that are or were followed. 


ENFORCEMENT OF ORDERS. 


7 


ISSUING OF ORDERS. 

24. The lessee shall designate in writing as local representative a 
superintendent or other agent who will be in responsible charge of 
the mining and milling operations and the sanitation and welfare 
of the employees on the leased land, and shall give the local post-office 
the address of the mine and the superintendent. The mining super¬ 
visor shall be advised of such designation before commercial mining 
operations have begun, and of each change in address of mine office, 
superintendent, or agent thereafter. 

25. The lessee shall be considered to have received all notices and 
orders from the mining supervisor that are mailed to or posted at the 
mine or mine office, or mailed or handed to the superintendent, the 
mine foreman, the mine clerk, or higher officials connected with the 
mine, for transmittal to the lessee or his agent. 

ENFORCEMENT OF ORDERS. 

26. If the lessee, permittee, or licensee fails to comply with these 
regulations or any part thereof or with the order or orders of the 
mining supervisor that are not in conflict with the laws of the State 
in which the leased lands are situated, he or the district mining 
supervisor shall have authority to require him to suspend the opera¬ 
tion or practice that conflicts with the regulations or orders, and 
to suspend the use of any device or method that the mining super¬ 
visor or the district mining supervisor may consider wasteful or im¬ 
proper. This order of suspension shall remain in force until the 
lessee complies with the regulations or orders that have been vio¬ 
lated or until such order of suspension has been revoked by the 
Secretary of the Interior; provided that when the continuance of 
such operation or practice, or of the use of the device or method con¬ 
sidered wasteful or improper, does not endanger life, threaten imme¬ 
diate, serious, and irreparable damage to the mine, or the deposit 
being mined, or other valuable mineral deposits, the supervisor, on 
being duly petitioned in writing by the lessee, permittee, or licensee, 
shall temporarily waive compliance with such order of suspension 
pending a reference to and review by the Secretary of the Interior 
of such order. Such appeal must be made within 10 days from the 
issuance of the order. 

27. The administration of these regulations shall be under the 
direction of the Bureau of Mines. 

E. C. Finney, 

Acting Secretary. 

Approved, February 13, 1922. 


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